Besides the phonics approach, sight words or Dolch words have for decades been a tried-and-true method of helping children learn to read. (Personally, I didn’t do well with the phonics approach – I was all about sight words as a kid.)
I’ve added several sight word lists to www.TeachersPrintables.net, for levels ranging from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. These are the words that many educators believe children should know by site at that particular developmental level. There are High Frequency Words, Dolch Words, and Fry’s Sight Words. Usually, these are words that break the “rules” of traditional phonics.
There are 16 lists to choose from, all preformatted for use by teachers, parents, and homeschoolers. Just print out a word list (they’re all free) for your favorite young reader, in PDF or editable DOC (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.) format.
Also, head on over to www.PrintableFlashCards.net where you’ll find the sight word lists already converted to flash cards for easy practice. Just print them (free!), cut along the dotted lines, fold along the solid lines, and start reviewing.